I attended the kick-off meeting last night of a new quasi-city committee that will be tasked with the opportunity (yes, opportunity) to raise money for the City’s new Art Center. When the City Council asked staff to organize a public fund raising effort, I wasn’t so sure who would step forward. But immediately after the story about the Council’s request made the local newspapers, we had about a dozen residents call and volunteer to be a part of the effort.
We got most of those dozen residents together last night – plus a few more that heard about the meeting and decided to pop in – to get the effort started. We told them the story of the Sampson family and their generous gift of the new Art Center building to the City. We told them about Art Center Task Force’s recommendations about necessary building renovations and proposed programs in the facility. Then, we told them the Council asked us to raise, at least, $326,000 to get the facility renovated and equipped.
The response was……enthusiasm! We fielded questions like “Are you sure that’s enough?”, and “Does that amount help keep operating costs low in the future?, and “When can we start asking our friends for money?. Nice.
We met for two hours. We decided that our next step would be to spend a little time thinking about the assets of the group that came together last night and then to reassemble the group next week on Wednesday, July 16 at 7pm at the Community Center to start the planning effort for the new committee. Everyone I talked to at the end of the night said they would see me next Wednesday night.
I bet they will, too.
